The testing and monitoring of diabetes can be accomplished through multiple tests that may independently vary in their accuracy, expense and time demands. While some testing methods may provide a more accurate and acceptable diagnosis, such methods may be relatively time intensive and/or require a laboratory or clinical setting for proper administration. Likewise, other testing methods may be more convenient but provide less accurate or less consistent results impairing their reliability. One test methodology for diagnosing and/or evaluating the diabetic condition of a patient comprises an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). An exemplary OGTT can comprise first obtaining a pre-test measurement of the patient's blood glucose after they have fasted for around eight hours. After the pre-test measurement is obtained, a standardized metabolic challenge is administered to the patient to affect the patient's blood glucose level. Test measurements are then obtained on a regimented time table for a defined period of time such that the variations of the patient's blood glucose levels can be monitored. The results of the OGTT can be interpreted by a physician to diagnose or evaluate the diabetic state of the patient.
However, the OGTT can be performed using either venous blood samples or capillary blood samples. Commercial laboratory, or hospital laboratory, methods and equipment using venous blood may provide more accurate and definitive results regarding a patient's diabetic state; however, the testing of venous blood samples is typically performed in a centralized setting such as a clinic. Specifically, a patient must visit a physician's office where their venous blood samples can be drawn over the course of the OGTT. Thereafter, the venous blood samples are shipped for testing at the centralized setting and the results are returned for the physician's review. Capillary blood samples, however, can be far more conducive to testing in a decentralized setting such as at the patient's home using more readily available devices like test strips and portable glucose meters. For example, a portable glucose meter may include a strip port that receives the disposable test strip. The test strip may be coated with chemicals (e.g., glucose oxidase, dehydrogenase, or hexokinase) that combine with glucose in blood allowing it to measure the concentration of glucose in the blood sample. The portable handheld glucose meter then displays the glucose concentration as a number (or glucose measurement value). As a result, the portable handheld medical diagnostic devices and their accessories may work together to measure the amount of glucose in blood and be used to monitor glucose levels in one's home, or healthcare facility. Patients may thereby perform an OGTT themselves, or when directed by their healthcare professional without, having to visit or ship samples to a third party or endure multiple venipunctures. However, while capillary blood samples allow for more accessible testing, they are often regarded as less reliant and cannot be relied upon in the initial diagnosis of diabetes. Thus, it may be desirable to provide alternative methods and apparatuses for decentralized monitoring of diabetes.